The women of war: Haunting images from Civil War depict the mothers, daughters, and wives of those who went out to fight

They were the ones left behind when the battle horn blew – the mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, and beaus of the soldiers called to the throes of war.

Haunting images from the Civil War painstakingly collected by Tom Liljenquist and his two sons depict women from the era in black-and-white photographs, many of them lovingly framed in elaborate casings.

The tintype and ambrotype photographs of women with their husbands in uniform are quite rare; the expressions on those pictured capture the fear and uncertainty of the day.

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Memories: The Liljenquist Family donated their rare collection of over 700 ambrotype and tintype Civil War photographs; most of the men and women pictured remain unidentified

Sombre: An unidentified soldier in Union uniform is pictured with an unidentified woman in a floral dress; the photo was embossed in 1854, a full year before the war's end

Collection: This photograph shows an unidentified Union soldier with his sweetheart; it is encased in a gilt leather frame

Family portrait: This tintype shows an unidentified soldier in Union uniform and two women, taken between 1861 and 1865

Most of the people in the black-and-white photographs remain unidentified, meaning little is known about the subjects, save whether the soldiers pictured were fighting for the Union Army or the Confederate Army.

The Liljenquist family, who lives in Virginia, collected more than 700 ambrotype and tintype photographs from both the Union and Confederate armies over a course of 15 years.

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They collection, which they donated to the Library of Congress, is called 'The Last Full Measure.’

It is thought that the majority were taken by local photographers just before a soldier was sent to the front and in the past 50 years the Library of Congress had only collected 30 images of infantry men before the Liljenquist collection was donated.

This year marks the war’s sesquicentennial, or 150-year anniversary.

Haunting: The identity of those pictured in the rare collections may never be revealed

Military wife: An unidentified woman poses with her husband, a Union Army soldier

Fascinating: The photographs were collected by jeweler Tom Liljenquist over the course of the past 15-years

When Johnny Comes Marching Home: Though the identities of many pictured are unknown, these images cause the viewer to marvel at the fate of these men and women